SaskPower SMR awarded Ca$74m government funding
Jonathan Spencer Jones
Posted on: 29 August 2023
The government of Canada has approved up to Ca$74 million (US$54.4 million) to advance the SaskPower led small modular reactor (SMR) development in Saskatchewan.
The government of Canada has approved up to Ca$74 million (US$54.4 million) to advance the SaskPower led small modular reactor (SMR) development in Saskatchewan.
The funding is intended to support pre-engineering work and technical studies, environmental assessments, regulatory studies and community and indigenous engagement in order to help advance the project.
In June 2022 SaskPower selected GE-Hitachi’s BWRX-300 technology for the potential deployment in the province in the mid-2030s, subject to a decision to build that is expected in 2029.
Announcing the funding Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Jonathan Wilkinson said that delivering clean, reliable and affordable electricity will look different in every region of Canada.
“With the announcement, we are investing in the future of nuclear technology, building on Canada’s decades-long legacy as a responsible global leader in nuclear power, and leveraging Saskatchewan’s world-leading production of uranium to position the province to thrive in a rapidly decarbonising global economy," said the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Jonathan Wilkinson.
SaskPower’s SMR is one of several under development in Canada, of which the most advanced is Ontario Power Generation’s preparations for the first of a planned four BWRX-300s at its Darlington site and potentially the first to be grid connected in North America.
SaskPower’s selection of the same technology was based on the adoption of a fleet-based approach with the lower regulatory, construction and operating costs and risks it provides.
Other support for the project includes up to Ca$50 million from NRCan’s Electricity Predevelopment Programme and over Ca$24 million from Environment and Climate Change Canada’s (ECCC) Future Electricity Fund.
SaskPower anticipates construction of its first SMR could begin as early as 2030, with a targeted in-service date of 2034, when a potential second facility also could begin construction.
Potential sites that have been selected are in the vicinity of Estevan, close to the Montana, North Dakota common northern border point, and Elbow about 200km to the northwest.
The BWRX-300 is a boiling water thermal spectrum SMR providing 300MW of power, with other potential deployments being pursued in the US, Poland and Estonia.
